Cairo is not selling La7 and denies the anti-Meloni label: ‘We don’t have any dangerous Bolsheviks’

During the conference, the issue of his channels’ political identity also came up again. When asked whether La7 had become an anti-Meloni TV channel, he replied that it had not, arguing that the network “has always avoided giving any government a free pass”, and that it wishes to remain free, independent and, above all, critical.

When he arrived in 2013, the leading names were Michele Santoro and Gad Lerner; today they are Corrado Augias and Giovanni Floris: “We’re not talking about dangerous Bolsheviks,” he jokes.

This autumn will also see the launch of the new La7 Play, available on mobile, desktop and smart TVs. The broadcaster has described it as a completely new app, ‘with very modern concepts’, and as a significant investment in its relationship with users beyond television. The project is being overseen by a manager who has joined from Mediaset Infinity.

This move comes at a time when the television sector is fragmented and facing competition from social media, streaming and on-demand content. Cairo acknowledged that running a media business is more difficult today than it was in the 1980s and 1990s, when competition was more limited. First the internet, and now artificial intelligence, have transformed the market: we need to ‘understand what is happening as quickly as possible’ and try to seize the opportunities.

The most significant new addition to the schedule is the acquisition from Sky of M. Il figlio del secolo – a series starring Luca Marinelli, based on the novel by Antonio Scurati – which will be broadcast on free-to-air television for the first time. It will be shown on La7 this autumn over four evenings, with an introduction by Corrado Augias as part of *La torre di Babele*.

Also announced are the film The Apprentice, about Donald Trump’s early life, and the documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, winner of the 2026 Oscars. Cairo aims to stabilise La7 Cinema’s audience share at 1 per cent throughout the day. The aim is to strengthen the line-up with film packages acquired from major American studios and Italian producers.

“I’m looking for someone to buy it all, so I can get into politics.” That’s how Cairo jokes about his possible bid for the mayoralty of Milan.

Then a reflection: ‘Knowing you would ask me this question, I took a photo of this marvellous page from L’ora dei predatori (by Giuliano da Empoli, editor’s note): How many wealthy entrepreneurs, technocrats or intellectuals have we seen subject themselves to bitter humiliation (…) when entering politics?’

In the business world, he explained, the playing field is clearly defined. In politics, the rules are less clear and results are harder to achieve: “Even Silvio Berlusconi, in the end, only managed to achieve 30 per cent of what he could have done.”

On the subject of football, he reiterated the possibility of selling his club: “After 21 years, it can be done; it must be done.”

The ideal scenario would be the arrival of a “Turin-based, wealthy, football-loving and generous” businessman. He then acknowledged that interest might be more likely to come from international parties, even though no binding offers have been received – as yet.